Adjustable railway-track lifter



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LILLIS.

ADJUSTABLE RAILWAY TRAGK LIFTBR.

Patented Jan. 16, 189A.

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MICHAEL LILLIS, OF BEATRICE, NEBRASKA.

ADJUSTABLE RAILWAY-TRACK LIFTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 512,726,1:lated J' anuary 16, 1894.

Application filed February 23, 1898. Serial No. 463,361. (No model| To aZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, MICHAEL LILLIS, of Beatrice, Gage county, Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Railway-Track Lifters, of which the following is a full, clear and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to an adjustable railway track lifter, and the object of my invention is to provide a means whereby a railway track while undergoing construction or repairs can be raised from the ground at such points where raising, leveling, dac., is required, without removing the dirt or ballast from under the ends of the cross tie which usually is done at the present time.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain peculiar and novel features of construction and arrangement, as will be specified and claimed hereinafter.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will now proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in 'which- Figure l is al perspective view of a section of a railway track with my improved track lifter in position. Fig. 2, is a vertical longitudinal section of one end of the track-lifter, and showing the screw clamping lever. Fig. 3, is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the lifter, and showing it applied in operative position to a track when the rails are in .a different horizontal plane, and, Fig. 4, is a detail perspective view of a slotted washer or link-plate. j

l designates the ties on which the rails are secured by means of spikes.

2 designates the rails.

3 designates my improved track lifter in a proper position for placing the lifting jack under it when the track is to be lifted.

4 designates a small spirit level secured to the upper side of the lifter, the object of which is to provide for leveling the track.

5 designates a loop or hook provided with a vertical stationary screw-threaded bolt 6, said bolt passing upwardly through an elongated opening or slot 10 in the end of the lifter and arranged so that it can be adjusted and readjusted to and from the main lifterbar as the occasion may require, so as to v.shorten or lengthen the lifter accordingto 9 designates the two extreme ends of the lifter hooked under the outer projecting caps of the rail. Y

In Fig. 2, will be seen ashoulder 1l formed by recessing the slotted end of the lifter at its under side, sufficiently to receive the loop or hook 5, so that the under side thereof will lie in the same horizontal plane as the under side of the lifter proper. This shoulder of course will limit the inward-movement of said hook, and must be arranged sufficiently inward from the slotted end to accommodate the lifter to roads of the narrowest gage In order to adapt my lifter tocurved tracks, or tracks having one rail in a different horizontal plane from the other, so that said difference may be maintained, I have provided a number 0f slotted washers or plates 12, a

'sufficient number of which are adapted to be The hook-bar 5 is now moved inwardly so that the hook thereof shall likewise engage the opposite track-rail. The handle 7 is then grasped and the nut-11ead turned upon the screw-bolt 6, so that the lifter and the hookbar shall be clamped firmly together. A small quantity of the ballast or earth is now removed from thebed about midway of and beneath the lifter, for the reception of an ordinary lifting-jack. The jack may now be operated in the usual manner, to raise the track-rails in the same horizontal plane suficiently to allow of tampering, leveling, &c.

From the above description, it will be seen IOC lifter which can successively `and easily be operated by one man.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A track-lifter, comprising a bar having a hook at one end, and a hook-bar adapted to` be longitudinally adjustable `upon the first mentioned bar, and means to clamp said hook-` bars irmlytogether, substantially as set forth.

,2. .Atrackfliften comprising a bar having ahookat one end adapted to engage one trackrailyand a `slot inthe opposite end, and a sec-- ond bar having `a `hook at one end adapted to` engage the other traokfrail and a bolt-near the other end engaging `the slot in the first mentioned bar, and aclamping nut engaging.` the `bolt and adapted to secure thesaid` bars firmly1ogether,substantially as setiforth.

3. In a track-lifter, the combination `with a bar having a hook adapted to engage a trackrail, anda longitudinally adjustable bar carried by the iirst` mentioned bar, and also provided With ahook adapted tofengagei the opposite track-rail, of a spirit-level carried by the rst mentioned bar, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4:. Atrack-lifter, comprising a bar having a `hook-at one zendfand. a-.seoondrbar also having a hook at one end, and longitudinally adjustable `upon the first mentioned bar, and means to hold it rmly at any point of ad justment, and guide ears also projecting from each side of the adjustable bar and -embracing the opposite sides of the rst mentioned 1bar,substantially-.asset forth.

5. In a track-lifter, the combination with a hooked bar havingafspiritflevelpand.aisee- 1ond hooked bar longitudinally :.aidjustable upon the first-mentionedbarofrslottedfplates adapted to` be interposed between said bans and arrangedras describedfzsubstantiallyras :and for the purpose-setjforth.

In testimony whereof "Larlix umysignatu nein `the presence Aof v two Witnesses.

MICHAEL LlfELIS.

Witnesses:

M. 1). SMITH, H. C. WHIrE. 

